The Mayor's Granddaughter
by HungerGames226
Summary: There was never a Second Rebellion. Katniss and Peeta were only in the arena once. The Capitol thought it would be suspicious to take them in again the year after. Instead, they decide to strike back 25 years later - and hard.


**~;~**

"_On the first Quarter Quell - _

_As a reminder to the rebels _

_that it was there choice to initiate violence,_

_Each district shall vote_

_For the male and female representatives._

_On the second Quarter Quell,_

_In order to show the rebels_

_That for every dead Capitolite_

_There were two killed rebels,_

_Twice the number of tributes shall be reaped._

_On the third Quarter Quell_

_As a reminder to the districts_

_That their rebellion killed people of all ages,_

_The reaped children shall have one parent_

_Accompany them into the arena."_

**~;~**

**PROLOGUE**

"And, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary," newly-elected President Antonius Coryx reads, "in order to show the districts that even their government is not as powerful as the Capitol, the tributes shall be reaped from the children of the most important District citizens. This includes the Mayors and Victors. There shall be _no_ volunteers."

Maeve Undersee stared blankly at her television screen. She was trying to let it sink in.

And then it did.

**~;~**

**Maeve Hawthorne, 15 **

"Baby," Mom tells me as she takes me in her arms, "it's okay. It's okay. You're gonna be okay."

But I know I won't. I'm up against bigger, stronger, more well-prepared people than me. In some districts, like One and Two, the Victors and Mayors children will be overjoyed that there won't be any competition to volunteer. There hasn't been any volunteers since the 75th Hunger Games, the last Quarter Quell, when Peeta Mellark volunteered for Haymitch Abernathy.

Haymitch has been dead for a few years now. No one lives long in District 12, not even the better-fed Victors. His death, however, was due to drinking. Alcohol poisoning, my mother would say.

Katniss and Peeta brought home another Victor the year I was born. Now there are only three in District 12. Quincy Elder was seventeen years old and won sixteen years ago, and won the 84th Annual Hunger Games.

Unfortunately, there won't be another. Not this year, at least. There's only me and-

And then I realize what this means. For the Mellarks.

Orion Mellark is going to be in the arena with me.

* * *

Before I know it, Mom and I are out the door, to the Mellark's house in the Victors Village. The cold February wind bites at me violently. I didn't bring a jacket because it's a short walk to their house and my feet reacted before my mind. I run, blown back by a gust of wind that slows me down. Mother trails behind me.

Aunt Katniss opens the door and immediately takes me into her arms. The warm, soft glow of the dim lamps give a comfortable light throughout the room. "I guess you've heard," Uncle Peeta says softly. I nod, laughing a little bit.

"My feet ran out the door before I fully understood what he meant."

Peeta takes me into his arms; his soft wool sweater smelling like cinnamon and dill. He rubs my back.

When he releases me, I sit down on a comfortable embroidered chair and try to think straight. I'm going into the arena. Uncle Peeta and Aunt Katniss will mentor me. I am going in with Orion Mellark.

Then I snap my head towards Orion, the thirteen year-old who at this moment is sitting in the corner staring into the distance, his blonde hair slicked with a nervous sweat but illuminated in the reflection of the fire they have going.

"Can I get you anything? Hot chocolate?" Aunt Katniss asks me with a hand on my shoulder. The rest of the family is sitting down, paying attention to the television, which is droning on. I ask for hot chocolate quietly and tune into the Capitol program.

The Capitol crowd still doesn't know what to make of it. They know of a few Mayor's children and Victor's children, but they never expected them to be in the arena.

"I'm calling Quincy," Uncle Peeta says, and rushes to the phone. The rest of us watch the bright Caesar Flickerman Jr. as he interviews a fairly new Head Gamemaker, the likely cause of my death.

"Gamemaker Jorne. What do you think of this year's surprising Qu-"

The door opens and we look up, snapped out of our daze. A big, tall man with dark features enters the house and I know him to be father. "I thought you might be here," he says as he gives my mom a kiss. He comes over to me and take my hands, gently stroking it in a soothing way. My mother told me he once worked in the mines, but he was able to quit once he married into her family, the wealthiest and most powerful in the district. The mayor's daughter.

"I'm okay, Dad, really," I say, not quite sure if it's true or not.

"I know you're okay. But I don't know if you'll be okay once you're. . . once you're in _there_," he says, choking a little on his last word.

I look over to Orion and say, "I'll have Orion. We'll protect each other."

But my father can see right through my fake sureness and asks "Until when?"


End file.
